Index



(No Model.)

mtnesses M. B. SMYTH.

INDEX.

Patented Oct. 12, 1886.

MIMI y PATENT Prien.

MILTON B. sMYTH, OF HOLTON, KANsAs.

INDEX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 350,848, dated October 12. 185%6.

Application filed November 30, 1885. Serial No. 184,338. (No model.)

T0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, MILTON B. SMYTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Holton, in the county of Jackson and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indexes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a perspective view of the index as in use. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the tablets or card-holder. Fig. 3 is a plan view of oneof the tablets. Fig. is an end view of the holder.

This invention belongs to that class of devices known as indexes; and the novelty eonsists in the details of the construction of the several parts of it and in their combinations, all as will now be more fully set out and described, reference being had to the aceompanying drawings.

In these A denotes the back or base or tablet-holder, which is made of any suitable mal terial and of any desired shape and size to hold the tablets or cards. As there may be few cards in some and many in others,ofcourse the size will considerably vary in all such instances. Vhile I prefer that it should stand nearly or truly vertical,it is evident that it may be placed horizontal, or in any desired position, so long as the leaves or tablets are allowed to swing or be freely moved. Fixed at the upper end is a horizontal projecting and upwardly-inclined toothed-rack, B, at right angles to the length of the base, of a sort of comb shape-that is, its slots b have converging sides, and the ends of each partition b are nearly pointed. There may be as many of these slots as the size of the index-that is, its number of pages or tablets-calls for. Fixed in the opposite end of this back or base and parallel with the rack Bis a projecting piece, It has as many holes or perforations c in line across its length as there are slots b in the rack above, and each perforation or hole is in line with a slot, b, in the rack above.

The tablets D are made of pasteboard or similar stiff material,and will when suspended Or mounted, as hereinafter desc ribed, preserve their form.

Into a slot, b, and its corresponding hole, c,

said places.

the wire pivots d d', respectively, fixed in any desired way in or to the inner edge at the top and bottom of each tablet D, are fitted. The pivot d is headed.

To fit each card in place, the lower pivot, d', which is pointed, is placed in one of the perforations c in the piece C, and then the upper pivot is pushed back into the slot bin the rack B above, which is in line with the hole. The open end of the slot makes a sort of guide- Way to the easy accomplishment of this, and the headed upper end of the pivot cl makes a suitable bearing on which each tablet may be easily turned as occasion requires. At the outer and upper corner on each side of each tablet is placed a letter of the alphabet, but, if desired,there may be several letters at the These letters constitute the alphabetical index to the names written on the side of each tablet, and in horizontal line with each name is the figure to indicate the page or place referred to. It will be observed that the leaves or tablets from the bottom on up overlap each other a little,and in this way afford ample space to display the letters on each, as shown in Fig. l. The base or back may be supported in any desired way, so as to hold it up firm 'and strong for use. The edges of the tablet may be cut away, as in an ordinary ledger-index, to show along the vertical edges the entire alphabet. In that case there will be as many tablets or leaves as letters in the alphabet, or the alternate letters may appear along this edge. The difference in this arrangement is quite wide, and the a`rrangement can be made to suit the taste of the maker or user. The leaves can be separately and readily removed for the purpose of making entries, or for any other purpose, and they are easily reached singly in seeking for a name, as they swing freely on their supporting-pivots.

Having now described my invention, what I consider new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is`

l. A base or back for a tablet, provided at its upper part with an upwardly-inclined and horizontal rack and its lower part with a perforated piece parallel with said rack, and combined with pages or tablets having piv- IOO ots xed to the upper and lower inner edge of In testimony whereof I affix my signature each. in presence of two witnesses.

2. The base A, having the rack B across it, provided with slots b, and a piece, C, at the MILTON B. SMYTH.

5 opposite end parallel to said rack, perforated ab o and combined With the Aoalolets D, marked Witnesses: as described, and having pivots d d/, subsban- H. J. SNYDER, tially as described. s S. B. MOGREW. 

